Memoria
by Lone Gunfreak
Summary: 7 years after the Enterprise left Earth, Reed deals with important changes in his life. ( warning : slash )


Title : Memoria  
Author : Lone Gunfreak  
Rating : PG-13  
Pairing : Reed/Archer  
Disclaimer : Paramount owns Enterprise, and they will   
probrably never portray Archer and Reed's relationship   
the way it's depicted here. But if they do ... you heard   
it here first!  
Summary : Reed severs old ties and strenghtens new ones.  
Author's Notes : Thanks for the title, Faceless.  
Dedicated to : my parents, for being nothing like Reed's  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Lieutenant-Commander Malcolm Reed gazed at the blank   
viewscreen, thinking. He was about to make his first contact   
with his parents since the mission had begun. He had near-death   
experiances many times over the course of his mission, met   
aliens that changed his perception of life itself and   
accomplished things he never would have attributed to the shy,   
reserved man who first boarded this ship 7 years ago. But only   
now did he ever have news he felt his parents needed to hear.   
He switched the 'screen on, and entered in his parents comm code.  
His parents' living room shimmered into view. They looked older   
than he remembered. Reed cleared his throat.  
  
" Hello Dad, Mum. It's ... it's good to see you. "   
  
His mother smiled her usual nervous, unsure smile, but   
his father's glare remained where it was.  
  
" So you're finally moved to call your own parents. What   
monumentous occurance sparked this historic event? "  
  
Red alert klaxons went off in Reed's mind. This was   
starting badly. Struggling to keep up his cheery demeanor, he   
replied, " I'm sorry I haven't exactly stayed in touch. Bit   
tricky, lots of spots where we couldn't get the communication   
arrays up, then we went out too far for our messages to come   
through ... ". Reed had an unfortunate tendancy to babble when   
nervous. " I've been promoted to Lieutenant-Commander, now,   
thought you'd like to know and er ... " his voice faltered as   
he looked at his father's impatient face. " Anyway ...   
something's happened to me, something rather special, and I   
wanted to share it with you. "  
  
His father said nothing, but arched his eyebrows and nodded   
slightly, silently giving Malcolm leave to continue.  
  
" I ... I've met someone on the ship, someone I'm quite   
willing to spend the rest of my life with, and ... I'd like to   
invite you to our wedding. We're planning on getting married when   
we get back to Earth. "  
  
" Oh, that's lovely, son! What's her name? " his mother   
chirped happily.  
  
" He, actually. I'm getting married to Captain Jonathan Archer.   
I ... I think you spoke to him? "  
  
His father was quiet for a long time, although his grim,   
shocked appearance gave Malcolm a clue to the general direction of   
his thoughts. When he finally spoke, Malcolm's fears were confirmed.  
  
" So. That's the way it works in Starfleet, is it? You sleep   
your way to the top. No wonder you're a Lieutenant-Commander now,   
you're whoring yourself out to your captain! "  
  
Malcolm closed his eyes. His father went on for awhile, and   
Malcolm simply let the angry words wash over him in all too familiar   
waves. He heard his mother occasionally make some timid-rabbit   
attempts to calm her husband down, and his father brushing them off.   
The usual spiel about dishonoring the family and spitting on the Reed   
family traditions, with some new bits about being a despicable   
little slut. Once he felt his father was winding down, he opened   
his eyes and said quietly, " Goodbye, Mum and Dad ", and switched   
off the view-screen.  
  
Malcolm took a few deep breaths, and left his quarters to   
return the ones he far more often occupied, and was far happier in.  
  
" Come ", Jonathan said as Malcolm rang the doorchime. Turning   
around and looking at his lover's face, Jonathan immediatly said,   
" Oh. It didn't go well, did it? "  
  
Malcom felt his body begin to shake, and wrapped his arms   
around his lover. He felt Jonathan's hands run through his hair, and   
heard soothing words whispered. Memories ran through Reed's mind -   
memories of a cold, lonely childhood, being shunted from boarding   
school to boarding school, never feeling loved or accepted. Then,   
better ones - boarding the Enterprise. His first time firing a phase   
cannon. Meeting alien races ... His mind turned to Jonathan. Their   
first kiss, their first night together. The day they revealed their   
relationship to the crew. He smiled, remembering the initial shock,   
and the acceptance and congradulations only seconds after. How their   
friends had all offered to help them celebrate their love when they   
made their wedding announcement just days before. When the tremors   
stopped, he looked up and gazed into Jonathan's eyes.  
  
" It doesn't matter anymore. You're all the family I need ",   
and lifted his head to claim the captain's mouth, and his heart. 


End file.
